Tal Shiar
The elite Romulan intelligence agency, the Tal Shiar, is a highly respected and feared force in the Romulan Star Empire and Alpha and Beta Quadrants. Its purpose is guarding the security of the Empire, both from the Romulans' interstellar enemies (most notably the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire) and from traitors within the Romulan population itself. The covert, often invisible presence of the Tal Shiar keeps the general populace in a constant state of paranoia, that any signs of dissent or dissatisfaction with the status quo will result in their 'disappearance'. (TNG: "Face of the Enemy") It was common practice for the Chairman of the Tal Shiar to be a member of the Continuing Committee. This was not the case for Chairman Koval, who was kept off the Committee, as he had often displayed anti-Federation sentiment and was opposed to the Federation Alliance against the Dominion. (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges") Senator Vreenak was the Vice-Chairman of the Tal Shiar in the 2370s. (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight") The Tal Shiar reports only to the highest levels of the Romulan government, and even so they undertake many missions without the direct knowledge of the Romulan Senate, conducting operations with virtual impunity throughout the Empire. Their authority supersedes that of most Romulan military commanders, resulting in a mutual distrust and hatred between the two organizations. The Tal Shiar operates their own fleet, often to their own aims. (TNG: "Face of the Enemy", DS9: "The Die is Cast") In 2371, the Tal Shiar formed a secret coalition with the Cardassian Obsidian Order, to carry out a preemptive strike against the Founders' homeworld in the Dominion. As part of this operation, they carried out the assassinations of several former Obsidian Order operatives, including (unsuccessfully) Elim Garak. However, the Tal Shiar itself had been infiltrated by the Founders, and their combined fleet of twenty ships was ambushed and annihilated at the Battle of the Omarion Nebula. (DS9: "Improbable Cause", "The Die is Cast") Unlike the Obsidian Order, the Tal Shiar was able to be rebuild after the attack on the Founder homeworld. In 2374, operatives of the Romulan Military hijacked the prototype starship [[USS Prometheus (NX-59650)|USS Prometheus]] and attempted to bring it to the Empire. They were supposed to bring it to the Military but recieved orders during the operation to deliver it to the Tal Shiar's fleet instead. (VOY: "Message in a Bottle") In late 2374, the Tal Shiar investigated the destruction of Senator Vreenak's shuttle. Their preliminary report pointed towards Dominion sabotage. (DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight") However, the chairman of the Tal Shiar, Koval, was in fact a Federation collaborator who was planted in preparation for feared hostilities following the war. (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges") In 2375, the Tal Shiar was responsible for the security arrangements of the Romulan Conference. (DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges") Members *Koval *Vreenak Operatives *Almak *Koval *Lovok *Livara *Rakal *Rekar Background The Tal Shiar was first mentioned in the form of the Federation imposter Major Rakal in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Face of the Enemy". However, the agency would not be mentioned on that series again. In a possible deleted scene of the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Wire", Benjamin Sisko mentioned Stolpan, a Romulan friend of his, being arrested by the Tal Shiar and taken to their headquarters. External Links * Category:RomulusCategory:Agencies de:Tal Shiar nl:Tal Shiar